Gary Ballance retires from all forms of cricket with immediate effect

Former England and Yorkshire batter Gary Ballance has announced his retirement from all forms of professional cricket at the age of 33.

The Zimbabwe-born cricketer was released from Yorkshire following allegations of racism towards teammate Aleem Rafiq in 2021.

After struggling with a loss of form, mental health issues, and a damaged reputation following the racism scandal, Ballance left Yorkshire and returned to his native place in Harare. He signed a two-year deal to represent the Zimbabwe National team after a period of ineligibility.

Ballance scored a magnificent 137 in his only Test appearance for Zimbabwe against the West Indies in February of 2023. He made his Test debut for England in January 2014 and his ODI debut in September 2013.

Gary Ballance made an impressive start to his test career with England, scoring over 1,000 runs with an average of close to 68 in his first ten matches. However, his form dramatically declined and he was eventually left out of the England squad. He finished his international career with a Test batting average of 40.31 in 24 matches. Ballance also boasted an ODI batting average of 23.25 in 18 matches.

In a statement issued via the Professional Cricketers' Association, Gary Ballance said:

"After much thought, I have decided to retire from all forms of professional cricket with immediate effect. I had hoped my move to Zimbabwe would provide me with a new-found happiness for the game and I will always be thankful to Zimbabwe Cricket for providing me with an opportunity to return to international cricket and welcoming me into their team."

He continued:

"However, I have reached the stage where I no longer have the desire to dedicate myself to the rigors of professional sport and this would do Zimbabwe Cricket and the game itself a disservice, should I carry on. I wish them every success going forward."

Ballance concluded by thanking all his clubs, coaches, teammates, and supporters

"I have been fortunate to have some incredibly memorable moments in cricket, winning County Championships with Yorkshire and gaining the ultimate honor of representing England and Zimbabwe. I want to thank all of my clubs, coaches, support staff, teammates and supporters for their guidance and encouragement over my career, it has been a privilege."

Gary Ballance was selected for the final Test of the 2013/14 Ashes series and played in the subsequent five-Test series against India in 2014. In the series against India, the left-hander scored 503 runs at an average of 71.85 with two centuries and two half-centuries to his name as England won the series 3-1.

Gary Ballance apologized for racist language towards Azeem Rafiq

It was reported last year that Gary Ballance apologized to Yorkshire teammate Azeem Rafiq for using racist language toward him. It is understood that the pair spoke at a meeting facilitated by the Professional Cricketers' Association.

In a statement of apology to Azeem Rafiq, Gary Ballance said:

"I apologize unreservedly to Azeem for the words I used when we played together. I did use unacceptable - at times, racist - language. If I had realized how much this hurt Azeem, I would have stopped immediately. That's why I wanted to meet him this week and be clear in person that I intended no malice. That's not an excuse, I realize that the language I used was wrong."

He continued:

"I have accepted, from the outset, the words I used were wrong and I hope this statement brings Azeem some comfort. There is no place in our sport for this behavior and I am determined to play my part in ridding the game from racism and make it more inclusive. To do this, we all need to be honest and learn from our past mistakes."

Azeem Rafiq accepted Ballance's apology and credited him for being brave enough to admit the truth.